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"'When the candles in the Christmas tree icere long since, 
burnt out thei/ sat around the hearth listening to Uncle 
Claus telling of some of the adventures of his life at sea.'* 

(Page 8. ) 


'- :■ •' ■ ■>, ‘ 

A CHRISTMAS HOML 
COMING 

AND 

OTHER STORIES FOR CHILDREN 

Bi; RUNA o ^ . 


WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 



ROCK ISLAND 

AUGUSTANA BOOK CONCERN 


COPYRIGHT, 1920, 

BY 

Augustana Book Concern 



JUL12 7i 


©CI.A617635 



TT WAS Christmas Eve in the little fish- 
ermen’s village on the coast. Old Claus 
Strom was living alone in his cottage, 
death having robbed him of wife and chil- 
dren, one by one. The home was not 
crowded, quite the contrary ; there was too 
much room, thought old Claus, especially 
at Christmas, so he had invited his niece 
Brita and her children to share his yule- 
tide fare. 

During his long life as a deep sea fisher- 
man Claus had been trained to look after 
himself most of the time. Hence he felt 
no need of woman’s help; no, not even in 
the matter of cleaning house and setting 
things to rights for the holidays. He even 
cooked the traditional rice porridge him- 
3 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


self, though Brita strenuously insisted on 
doing it. 

“Don’t you suppose I can cook just as 
well as you?” said the old man, brushing 
her aside. 

What, then, could she* do but sit down 
and watch him? Resting was to her an 
unusual occupation for which she seldom, 
if ever, found leisure. But here she now 
sat, with Anna in her lap and Sigrid by 
her side, while the open fire on the hearth 
burned briskly, its ruddy light bronzing 
the seasoned features of the old man as he 
slowly but handily went about his house- 
hold work. 

“But you will at least let me set the 
table,” Brita again insisted. 

No; the old man would not budge. 

“To-night I want to be the host all by 
myself, and there’s not a great deal to pre- 
side over at that,” he decided. 

“How you talk, uncle!” Brita thought 
proper to protest. 

For the spread he gave them was indeed 

4 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 

much better than the old 'man esteemed it. 
One could not be long in his home without 
feeling a sense of comfort to which now 
was added a touch of holiday sanctity. 
The parson's wife had once remarked, 
''Surely there must be some invisible 
angel presiding over that cottage of Old 
Claus's;" and Brita now agreed she was 
right. Claus was a devout old Christian, 
not only on Sunday or while reading his 
Bible, but equally so while engaged in re- 
pairing his nets, catching fish, cooking 
porridge, or doing any other necessary 
work. 

"Why doesn't Gustav ever come?" asked 
Sigrid. 

"Well, he surely ought to be back from 
the parsonage by this time," her mother 
avowed, casting an anxious glance at the 
old clock which stood in a corner ticking 
very loudly, as if desirous of impressing 
all with the inexorable flight of time. 

"He has hardly had time to do that 
errand yet; and before he has done what 
5 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


he is told, no real boy will quit and go 
home,'’ the old man moralized. 

The words were scarcely out of his 
mouth when there was violent stamping 
of feet on the flagstone landing outside 
and the door was thrown open. A husky 
boy of fourteen entered. This was Gustav, 
Brita’s youngest son and the only one of 
her boys now at home. Eric was with his 
father on a light ship far out at sea, and 
Nils, the oldest, was sailing the seas no 
one knew where, for not a word from him 
had reached home for the past two years. 
Gustav, too, wanted to become a sailor, but 
his mother held back, maintaining that 
the sea might leave her one boy, at least. 

The lad gave an account of himself and 
then took a seat by the fire to dry his 
clothes. 

“It's beastly weather out," he said. 
“Rain and snow mixed, and the way the 
wind is blowing we'll soon have a real 
blizzard." 

“God help all seafaring folk — there's 


6 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


no yuletide cheer for them/' Brita sighed 
devoutly. 

“There are worse storms than blizzards 
raging in this world," uncle Claus added. 
“God grant they don’t drive life’s sea- 
farers on the rocks.’’ 

'While the porridge was sputtering in 
the pot, which reeled on its tripod and 
threatened to founder under Gustav’s vig- 
orous stirring, the little girls lit the can- 
dles in the Christmas tree. Uncle Claus 
took his Bible from the shelf, and when 
the Christmas hymn had been sung by all, 
he read the Christmas text — the story of 
the Christ-child in the manger. 

Every moment the storm grew more 
violent, the sleet pattering sharply against 
the window panes, while the roar of the 
breakers was heard singing the song of 
the sea in profound bass. How weak the 
voice of man in comparison! The roar 
seemed to mock at the feeble voice of the 
old man who was faltering out with much 
feeling the simple story of Bethlehem. 

7 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


V^hat could this Child accomplish in a 
world of sin and defiance against God? 
Yet he knew the power of the Christ-child 
from personal experience, and his old eyes 
brightened at the thought. Not only the 
elements must obey when Christ com- 
mands, *Teace, be still/' — even the rag- 
ing waves of sin and the stormy defiance 
of the human heart must subside at His 
word. Knowing this, old Claus Strom had 
in his heart that peace and fortitude which 
none of the many inner and outer storms 
that ravaged his life had been able to dis- 
turb. 

So his home, too, was full of peace, even 
on this stormy Christmas Eve. And so 
comfortable and contented were the chil- 
dren and their mother that it was hard for 
them to leave for their own home. When 
they had finished the ample meal prepared 
for the festive evening and the candles in 
the Christmas tree were long since burnt 
out, they still sat around the hearth listen- 
ing to Uncle Claus telling of some of the 

8 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


adventures of his life at sea. However 
simple his narrative, his words gripped 
his hearers and held their attention as in 
a vice. Added to the pleasure of listening 
to his vivid accounts he gave them some- 
thing of greater value by showing them 
the hand of God in all the events of his 
life, even before he himself had come to 
know and love God. 

Host and guests alike regretted the 
rapid flight of the hours this night. They 
would gladly have sat talking and listen- 
ing yet a while but for their decision to 
attend the Christmas services early the 
next morning together, and that called for 
retirement in due time so as not to let the 
sandman disturb their devotion in church. 
Brita and her children therefore departed 
for their near-by cottage at this point, all 
with profuse thanks for the excellent en- 
tertainment. 

When Claus Strom was alone, he tidied 
up the room a bit and laid out his holiday 
attire in readiness for the morning. He 


9 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 

was just getting- ready to retire when a 
sound arrested his attention. He stood 
silent and listened. Was it a distress sig- 
nal gun or merely a heavy onslaught of 
the waves upon the rocks? He hastened, 
to the door, threw it open and peered into 
the darkness. It must have been a signal 
of distress, and not the first one, for down 
at the pier there was already consterna- 
tion on every side. Lanterns were gleam- 
ing and swinging, loud voices were heard 
commanding and answering. In less than 
two minutes old Claus was in his oilskins 
and making for the beach on the run. 

There he found gathered almost the 
whole population of the village. Several 
signal guns had been heard, and from the 
direction whence the sound had come the 
conclusion was that a vessel had grounded 
on the Shell Banks. One lifeboat already 
had gone to the rescue, and another was 
being manned to set out. 

*‘Who will go with me?’' old Claus de- 
manded. 


10 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 

No one answered. The bravest had al- 
ready left with the first boat. 

“My boat is old like myself/' said Claus, 
“but we have weathered many a storm 
when bigger craft have foundered,” he 
added by way of encouragement. 

A couple of young men seemed disposed 
to join him, but their folks kept them 
back. 

“If no one else will, I go alone,” he said 
resolutely. 

They sought to dissuade him, but to no 
avail. The old sea-dog proceeded to hoist 
his sail. 

“ril go with you. Uncle Claus !” shouted 
a boyish voice through the whistling 
storm. 

“Thank you, my brave lad,” said the old 
man looking suddenly up. 

This was no time for many words. 

Preparations had to be made quickly; 
every moment's delay might cost a human 
life. The old man and the boy worked in 
desperate haste to rig the craft. Once in 

11 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


his old fishing smack, old Claus was young 
again, the sea was his element, and he and 
the storm were old friends from away 
back. 

“Gustav ! Gustav ! — Where are you 
a woman’s voice called out anxiously in 
the crowd. 

Gustav pretended not to hear, but Uncle 
Claus answered in his stead, and the next 
moment the boy’s mother stood beside the 
boat that was being launched. 

“You don’t mean to start out, do you?” 
she inquired with misgivings. 

“Yes, I am going,” said Claus. “When 
God and duty bid me brave the storm, I 
am safer there than in the calmest har- 
bor.” 

“But Gustav must stay with me,” de- 
manded Brita, throwing both arms around 
her boy. 

He attempted to free himself, but the old 
man gave him a quick, speaking look. 

“Without your mother’s blessing you 
can’t come with me,” he said. 


12 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


“Mother, please let me go,” the boy 
pleaded. 

“How could I?” moaned the mother. 

Now the boat was .ready. Old Claus 
ran aft to shift the rudder before starting. 
To manage a skiff alone in such a storm 
looked impossible, to say nothing of the 
chance to save lives, but the old fisherman 
felt God’s call and did not hesitate. 

Mother Brita fought a short but de- 
cisive battle with her heart, then she re- 
leased the boy. 

“I see now that the Lord needs you. 
Go. I give you as an offering to God,” 
she said, her voice wavering between 
despair and heroic courage. 

The boy gave a hasty look at his moth- 
er, implying a silent prayer for forgive- 
ness for not replying when she called him 
and for resenting her efforts at holding 
him back. Time was too short for words. 
In the nick of time he sprang into the 
boat. 

“My boy, give your heart to God, and 


13 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


may you grow to be a man in this storm,” 
said Uncle Claus comfortingly. And just 
as they were disappearing in the darkness 
he shouted back this word of comfort for 
the mother : 

'‘Be of good cheer. The one you gave 
to God is safe.” 

With deft hand the experienced old 
sailor managed his craft in the choppy 
sea. Through the pitchy blackness he had 
to steer haphazard, guided only by his 
seaman's instinct. The winds jammed the 
taut sail to the breaking point, and the old 
smack shook and shivered, while working 
its way through the hissing whitecaps. 
The brave sailors were showered with 
spray, and at times the boy knew not 
whether he was still in the boat. 

Presently an enormous wall of water 
threatened to fall upon the little craft and 
bury it. 

“Now, then,” the old man addressed his 
boat, just as a rider urging his horse to a 
fine leap. As if the craft had understood, 

14 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 

it reared and took the obstacle with a 
bound, cutting gaily through the surge 
back of it. 

Old Claus, bending forward, peered 
sharply ahead. To any but a seasoned 
seaman such efforts would have been in 
vain, but he knew his bearings well, cal- 
culating the height of the meeting waves 
by the varying strength of the gale, and 
computing his course by the direction 
from which the thunder of the breakers 
could be heard. 

Gustav had all that he could do to bail 
out the water as fast as it came dashing 
in over the boards. At every turn he had 
to be strictly about his business. To the 
Shell Banks the distance was not far, but 
as the wind bore directly from that quar- 
ter, they had to zig-zag their way through, 
taking a new tack every few minutes. 

Suddenly the darkness began to yield 
before a grayish haze, and a little later 
the moon broke through a rent in the 
racing clouds. In the light old Claus 

15 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 

could discern a dark object looming up 
over the Banks. With a whispered prayer, 
he set the sail for a direct course and 
called out to Gustav to bail with redoubled 
vigor, for there was no more time for 
tacking. It was now a race with death, 
and there was not a moment to lose. 

At length they reached the grounded 
ship. To go alongside old Claus would 
not venture for fear of having his boat 
crushed against its side, but he stood by, 
while both kept a sharp lookout for mem- 
bers of the shipwrecked crew. 

A faint cry was heard near by, and the 
next instant some one was hurled towards 
them from the crest of a great wave. 

With every nerve strained, Gustav 
stood ready to grasp the drowning man. 
For one second he came within his reach, 
and, crooking his leg around the edge of 
the side bench, he seized hold of him and 
by exerting every ounce of strength suc- 
ceeded in pulling him into the boat with- 
out assistance. 


16 



"At first Nets thought that it iras fun to dance loith 
Bumhurro to the accompaniwent of the harid. organ." 

(Page 26.) 










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A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


Many anxious hours Brita spent on the 
beach, awaiting with many others the re- 
turn of the life-savers. The first two boats 
returned with a goodly cargo — eight men 
rescued from the sea. But there were 
more still on the wreck, so they set out 
again. On their second return they 
brought in no more victims of the disaster, 
only the news that the derelict had slid off 
the rocks and sunk, and that there were 
no living beings in sight, and no calls for 
help to be heard. 

“Didn’t you see my boy and Uncle 
Claus?” asked Mother Brita eagerly. 

No, not a trace of them. 

“But that isn’t saying they aren’t safe,” 
added one of the fishermen consolingly. 
“The seas are so high we might easily 
have passed them at close range without 
seeing them.” 

The rescued members of the crew were 
brought up to the cottages for further 
care, while the rescuers each sought his 
own home and bed to get a few hours of 


17 

A Christmas Home-Coming, 2 . 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 

needed rest. A small group still remained 
at the pier, watching for any of the ship- 
wrecked crew that might be drifting 
about. Brita kept wringing her hands in 
the agony of suspense, and a couple of 
young men were moved by her despair to 
start out on a search when another glint 
of moonlight showed the missing boat la- 
boring in the breakers. 

“There they are shouted several voices 
at the same time. 

In the darkness the smack had got to 
land without being seen from the shore. 

“Mother, we have saved three, and you 
can’t guess who the third one is,” Gustav 
called out as soon as they got within hail- 
ing distance. 

Many willing hands helped to rush the 
victims to shelter, as the old man and the 
boy moored the boat and further directed 
the rescue work. 

The eyes of Mother Brita were fixed on 
a pale young man who was first lifted 
ashore. It was Nils, her oldest son. They 


18 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


placed him on the ground for a moment 
and administered a reviving draught, 
v^hile Gustav rubbed his hands and arms, 
the head of the long-lost son meanwhile 
resting in his mother’s lap. 

Her face was as pale as his. Was this 
a reality, or all a dream ? She could hard- 
ly believe her own eyes, as they rested on 
the loved one just now snatched from the 
jaws of death. But would he live? she 
asked herself. Had he been taken from a 
watery grave only to be laid in an earthen 
one? 

At that moment Nils opened his eyes 
and met her anxious look. 

'‘Mother,” he whispered faintly, and her 
heart leaped with joy as she saw her Nils 
returning to life. 

“Brita, have you any regrets now?” 
asked old Uncle Claus tenderly. “You 
just gave one son to the Lord, and He’s 
given you back two. You see, that’s His 
way,” he commented. 


19 


A CHRISTMAS HOME-COMING 


Brita was unable to reply. The moment 
seemed too sacred for words. 

Deep ringing tones broke the silence. 
It was the church bells calling the people 
to early morning services by candlelight. 
Claus Strom uncovered his head; alf the 
men and boys did likewise, and the women 
devoutly folded their hands. 

* ‘Glory be to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, good will toward men,'' the 
old man repeated when the bells ceased 
ringing; and never had he praised the 
Lord from so full a heart. From their 
hearts, too, came the “amen" of the by- 
standers. 

So solemn a Christmas service no one 
of them had ever known before. 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 



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ILS, it must be said, was not inclined 
^ to obedience. To school he went 
only when it pleased him, and this was 
not often, for he usually played truant. 
But one day his father heard how Nils 
had given himself many extra holidays, 
and the result was that father and son 
had a serious interview in the woodshed, 
from which the latter emerged painfully 
conscious of the skill and strength of his 
father in applying the birch. . Thereupon 
he was ordered back .to school with the 
information that if he played truant 
again, there would be further applications 
of the salutary birch. Nils started oif, but 
on the way he sat down to cry out his defi- 
ance and rage, and to cudgel his brains 
for a means to avoid both school and pun- 
ishment. 23 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


As he sat there pondering, a hand was 
laid on his shoulder; and when he raised 
his head, he beheld a swarthy face smiling 
down on him so that the chalk-white teeth 
gleamed in the sun. The man addressed 
Nils in a peculiar lingo of which he could 
make out only the question: “Why are 
you crying?'' 

“Because I have to go to school," Nils 
replied. 

“Why do you have to? Come with me 
instead," the stranger urged, making his 
meaning clear by lively gestures. 

Nils eyed him with astonishment, and 
noted that the man was carrying a large, 
chest-like object on his back. It must be 
a hand organ. Nils thought. Back of this 
he spied a dark-brown, shaggy animal. 

“Who are you, and where are you go- 
ing?'^ inquired Nils. 

“I am an Italian, and I travel the world 
over wherever it pleases me," the stranger 
said. 

That certainly sounded alluring to Nils. 

24 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


“But what do you do?'’ he asked. 

“I play the hand organ.” 

“And what am I to do if I go with 
you?” Nils inquired' cautiously. 

“Whatever you wish, especially if you 
will learn to dance with Bumburro, my 
bear. He is so tame and gentle that you 
need not fear him at all.” 

With these words the Italian pointed to 
the shaggy bear sitting upon his haunches 
and peering at them with small, melan- 
choly eyes in his huge head. 

“Dare I pat him?” asked Nils with a 
mingling of eagerness and fear. 

“Pat away; he wouldn’t hurt a flea,” 
declared the Italian. 

Thereupon Nils patted the bear, who 
submitted meekly. 

The thought of going out into the wide 
world and doing what he pleased, instead 
of sitting obediently on a school bench 
was very alluring to Nils. 

“I’ll go with you,” he declared at last. 

The Italian seemed pleased as he 


25 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


trudged off with his hand organ on his 
back, the bear at his heels, and Nils bring- 
ing up the rear. Nils threw a lingering 
look of triumph back over the neighbor- 
hood of home, which he was now to leave. 
It vexed him that his schoolmates could 
not behold his triumphant departure. 
How they would have envied him his good 
fortune! But he did not dare to whistle 
for them when he passed the schoolhouse. 
Instead he made himself as small as pos- 
sible, hiding behind the Italian and his 
organ, so that no one would detect his 
flight and hinder it. 

He managed to pass the schoolhouse 
without detection, but he did not feel per- 
fectly safe until they had Reached a neigh- 
borhood where no one knew him. 

At first Nils thought that it was fun to 
dance with Bumburro to the accompani-. 
ment of the hand organ ; but one day when 
it was very hot, he stretched himself on 
the ground and declared that Bumburro 
would have to dance alone. The bear also 


26 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


looked dejected and tired and did not want 
to dance any more than Nils did. But his 
master had a whip which soon brought 
poor Bumburro to terms. 

The organ grinder let Nils lie idly in the 
grass, while he played and bruin danced. 
But when Nils afterwards demanded his 
share of the money, the organ grinder 
firmly refused with the terse remark : ‘‘No 
work, no pay.” Still worse. Nils did not 
get a bite to eat that day. This was re- 
peated until Nils, much to his vexation, 
realized that his case was much like Bum- 
burro’s: both must dance whether they 
wished to or not. And the farther they * 
progressed into the world, the greater 
were the demands made upon poor Nils. 
Now he often had to carry the hand organ 
until he was ready to sink to the ground, 
and he was forced to dance when his en- 
tire body ached with weariness. If at any 
time he refused to obey, he, too, would get 
a taste of the whip. Often he had to go 
about with hat in hand begging, and more 


27 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


than once his cruel master forced him to 
steal. No longer did the Italian share 
with him the money procured; never a 
penny did Nils get and seldom was he 
given sufficient food to satisfy his hunger. 

Nils was beginning to think about re- 
turning home, but the way was long and 
unknown to him; and besides, he did not 
see how he would be able to escape the 
watchfulness of his master. 

In the course of their wanderings the 
two travelers had by this time penetrated 
into the wooded and mountainous regions 
of the North. There Bumburro suddenly 
awakened to new life. He scented with 
evident delight the great, fragrant forest, 
and growled softly. There came a haunted 
look into the small, melancholy eyes. He 
seemed to know that here, in the depths 
of the fgrest, was his real home, and here 
he would find others of his own kind. 
When Bumburro displayed his uneasiness, 
his master would jerk the chain roughly, 
and if the bear answered with a growl, he 


28 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


would be lashed cruelly. For the master 
was strong, and when angry, laid on with 
all his might. 

One night they were resting in a desert- 
ed barn. Nils, however, was wakeful and 
lay gazing at the moonlight filtering 
through the cracks. The moonlit night 
was calling him to come out. Would he 
dare? What if the Italian should wake? 
But his master’s loud snoring reassured 
him. He had been drinking during the 
evening and was now lost to the world. 
So favorable an opportunity for flight 
might not present itself again. He got up 
cautiously and tiptoed over to the door. 

It took some time to open the door, for 
he had to do so without making a noise. 
At last he succeeded and' was just slipping 
out when a subdued growl from Bumburro 
checked him. To Nils it seemed as if the 
poor animal were chiding him in this wise : 

'‘Have you the heart to go forth to free- 
dom and leave me here in captivity?” 

No, Nils did not have such a heart. So, 

29 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


with peril to his own freedom, he crept 
back and unfastened Bumburro’s chain. 
Then both stealthily make their way to- 
ward the door. 

Suddenly the snoring ceased. Both boy 
and bear stopped and stood motionless as 
statues. 

“Lie still, you rascal, or I’ll whip you,” 
mumbled the Italian in his sleep; then he 
turned over and was soon snoring as vocif- 
erously as before. 

Nils and Bumburro hesitated a while 
before they dared to go farther. Finally 
they reached the door, which had to be 
opened wider in order to allow Bumburro 
to pass through. 

The night was fresh and bright. A fra- 
grance of pine needles and resin was waft- 
ed to them from the great forest. Bum- 
burro drew a deep breath and expelled it 
so forcibly that Nils in fright pinched the 
bear’s ear to remind him of the sleeping 
master within. Bumburro then began to 
scamper off toward the forest and Nils 


30 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


followed on the run. The nearer they 
came to the woods, the faster grew the 
bear's pace. Though Nils ran with all his 
might, he was being left behind. Sud- 
denly the bear stopped and gazed on his 
panting companion. 

“Climb on my back," the bear seemed to 
say. 

Nils understood and obeyed. Away they 
went so fast that the wind whistled about 
Nils's ears although the night was per- 
fectly calm. 

Bumburro did not stop when he reached 
the edge of the forest, but kept on with 
undiminished speed until he had penetrat- 
ed to the very heart of it. When he finally 
halted. Nils slid from his back, and was 
startled to note the change that had taken 
place in his dear old friend. 

Surely, this was not the same meek bear 
who under the lash had danced wearily 
and sadly to the tune of the ‘ discordant 
old hand organ. Now Bumburro stood 
before him grand and stately as a mon- 

31 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


arch in his kingdom. The small eyes glit- 
tered and gleamed with some mighty pur- 
pose, while Nils stood there curiously 
eager to see what would happen next. 

As if having come to a decision, Bum- 
burro went up to a tall pine and began to 
climb it. Slowly, but with deft, powerful 
movements the ascent was made. 

Nils did not long remain a mere spec- 
tator; he also started to climb, and soon 
he was sitting beside his friend near the 
top of the pine, which swayed under their 
combined weight. 

A bright full moon was shining over the 
tree tops. So dense was the forest that it 
seemed to Nils as if he were sitting in a 
rocking hammock in the midst of a green- 
carpeted plain. As a mere dot in the dis- 
tance he could see the barn where the 
Italian in all probability was still snoring 
and dreaming that bear and boy were still 
within reach of his whip. 

Suddenly Bumburro uttered a growl so 


32 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


loud and terrifying that Nils came near 
tumbling down from his lofty perch. 

“What do you mean?” Nils demanded 
in a tone of vexation. 

But Bumburro paid no heed to Nils, for 
he was listening intently for more distant 
sounds. And sure enough, as a faint echo 
from the depths of the forest came an an- 
swering growl. 

There were other bears in the woods. 
This fact was just as uncomfortable to 
Nils as it seemed pleasing to Bumburro. 

As if suspecting the boy^s anxiety, the 
bear looked at him with an air of protec- 
tion and licked his hand. This, however, 
he did with difficulty, for the muzzle was 
still on Bumburro's nose. Nils reflected 
that this must be humiliating for the mon- 
arch of the forest, so he unfastened it and 
flung it away with all his might. It fell 
against a rock with a -metallic clink. 

The delight of Bumburro was almost 
pathefic to behold. Joyously he opened 


33 

A Christmas Home-Coming. 3 . 


NILS THE ADVENTUEER 


his mouth to its greatest width and 
stretched out his tongue full length. 

After a while the two friends descended 
from the tree and proceeded further into 
the forest. Now and then Bumburro sent 
forth a growl, and when the answering 
growl was heard, he made his way in that 
direction. 

Nils was afraid that the other bear 
would eat him up. He tried to make plain 
his fears to Bumburro and to induce him 
to alter his course, but Bumburro re- 
mained deaf to his prayers. 

Finally the two bears met and began 
negotiations for the forming of a friendly 
acquaintanceship. At first this was un- 
dertaken with due solemnity, but little by 
little the ice thawed between them and 
they came to a mutual understanding. 
Bumburro was overjoyed to have found 
a mate, and the other bear seemed equally 
pleased that her days of solitude were 
over. 

Soon they began to play with each oth- 
34 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


er. To Nils the sport seemed rather 
rough, displaying incredible agility and 
strength in spite of seeming clumsiness. 
Nils forgot his fears in pure delight at the 
sport, and without being aware of it he 
began to clap his hands and shout bravoes 
at them. 

The play stopped short, and the strange 
bear eyed Nils with an expression that 
caused the poor lad to quake in his boots. 
Then and there Nils would no doubt have 

I 

furnished a meal for a hungry bear, but 
Bumburro intervened and made it per- 
fectly plain to his mate in emphatic bear 
language that the boy belonged to them 
and must be treated as a friend by both. 
The strange bear growled unwilling con- 
sent and refrained from laying violent 
paws on Nils. 

Nils, however, continued to feel uneasy 
and would have preferred to steal away, 
but this he did not do, partly because he 
did not know where to go, and partly be- 
cause the bears would not perinit him to 
leave them. 


35 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


So Nils had to live with them in the for- 
est and spend the nights in their cave. 
They would never allow him out of their 
sight, as if they feared that he would 
seek out human beings and betray to them 
his four-footed companions. 

Poor Nils did not have a very pleasant 
time of it. He often witnessed the bears 
strike down a calf, a cow, or a sheep. To 
Nils were left what remnants there were, 
but not even these could he eat unless he 
was threatened with death by starvation, 
for he had to eat his portion raw as the 
bears did. The bears would not permit 
him to make a fire either to cook his meat 
or to warm himself. They became per- 
fectly wild when he tried it one day, and 
even Bumburro’s eyes gleamed with fear 
and anger so fiercely that Nils thought it 
best to put out the fire. 

He grew thin and pale from the unac- 
customed food. Besides he lived in con- 
stant fear of Bumburro-s mate, who con- 
tinued to look upon Nils with hostile eyes 


36 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


and was only prevented by Bumburro from 
devouring the lad. 

“What will become of me if she becomes 
real hungry some day, when we two are 
alone?” mused Nils, and kept himself 
more closely to the side of Bumburro. 

Then winter came, and the bears began 
their period of hibernation after first hav- 
ing gorged themselves with meat. How 
they did eat! And not a single bite for 
poor Nils. When they retired into their 
cave. Nils was forced to follow their ex- 
ample. He wept and moaned from the 
pangs of hunger; but little did the bears 
care, for they were full to satiety and 
promptly fell asleep. 

After some time Nils tried to creep out 
of the cave, but the strange bear woke up 
and growled ominously. So Nils crept 
back to Bumburro and lay there weeping 
from hunger and despair. His thoughts 
turned yearningly to his distant home, his 
parents, his brothers and sisters, and 
many companions. Alas, nevermore would 

37 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


he see them! Here he would lie until he 
died from hunger and cold. As he lay 
musing thus sadly, he noticed that snow 
was beginning to fall outside. The white 
flakes fell so silently and peacefully that 
they somewhat soothed his troubled feel- 
ings. Presently Nils noticed that a huge 
drift was piling up before the mouth of 
the cave. Soon the opening would be en- 
tirely closed, and Nils would be sealed up 
as in a dark tomb. He realized that now 
if ever he must make good his escape. If 
the bears hindered him, they might as well 
eat him up at once. Far better to die 
quickly than -To suffer a lingering death 
in this tomb-like cave. 

Slowly and cautiously he raised himself 
up and began to crawl away more noise- 
lessly even than when he fled from the 
Italian organ-grinder. This time the bears 
were sleeping so profoundly that they were 
not disturbed by the flight of Nils. 

So great was his happiness and relief 
that he could scarcely believe that he had 


38 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


escaped from the bear-cave. But this was 
no time to give himself up to vain rejoic- 
ing. Where should he go, and on what 
should he subsist? Round about him for 
miles stretched the vast, trackless forest, 
offering nothing better than snow for him 
to live upon. 

Poor Nils roamed about in the forest 
for a long, long time, and at last he lay 
down in a snowdrift to die, thinking it not 
worth while to struggle for his life any 
longer. 

As he lay there weeping, he thought 
again of his father and mother, and how 
naughty he had been to run away from 
them. Now he would not even have a 
chance to ask their forgiveness. This was 
his last sad thought before he lost con- 
sciousness. 

But he did not die. When he woke to 
consciousness again, he was still on earth. 
He found himself lying on a bed of spruce 
brush in a little forest hut. On a stone 
slab in a corner a fire was burning, the 

39 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 

smoke from which escaped through a hole 
in the roof. The light from the fire lit up 
the face of a man. Nils stirred to look at 
him. 

“So you are coming to/' the man re- 
marked, giving Nils something warm to 
drink. 

How good it was! Nils felt a glow of 
new life streaming through his benumbed 
limbs. 

“How did I get here?" he asked wonder- 
ingly. 

“I found you in a snowdrift and 
brought you here," the man replied. 

Nils sent him a look of gratitude and 
inquired who he was. 

“My name is Mats and I live here in the 
woods through the winter to chop trees 
and burn charcoal. But tell me, who are 
you, and where do you come from?" 

Nils told him frankly all that he had 
passed through from the day he had run 
away from home to the moment when he 
fell asleep in the snowdrift. 


40 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


“A strange story/’ remarked Mats. “A 
very strange story. And yet so true to 
life. If you won’t obey those who only 
wish you well, you are sure to get sterner 
masters, cruel masters, whom you will 
have to obey whether you wish to or not. 
That’s the way matters shape themselves 
in life.” 

Nils made no reply; but the more he 
pondered on the words of Mats, the more 
he came to realize how tru^ they were. 

Nils staid on \vith Mats through the 
winter, helping with his work. No chance 
now to idle his time away ; but hard labor 
from morning till night and a hard bed 
to sleep on. But never had Nils slept more 
soundly than on his spruce brush couch 
in the charcoal burner’s hut. The only 
thing to disturb his rest was an occasional 
yearning for home and parents. 

At last the huge snowdrifts began to 
dwindle, and when spring came in good 
earnest, the two occupants of the lonely 
hut set out for the settlements. They fol- 


41 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


lowed the river upon whose swelling tide 
many of the logs which Mats and Nils had 
cut were being carried down to the saw- 
mills. 

They had traveled a considerable dis- 
tance when Mats suddenly stopped. 

“Here are fresh bear tracks/' he de- 
clared, and began to load his gun. 

Peering watchfully in all directions, 
they continued on their way. It is no 
child’s play to meet bruin when he emerges 
from his winter quarters in the spring, 
gaunt and hungry from his protracted 
period of fasting. 

Suddenly they heard a growl and saw a 
shaggy object moving clumsily among the 
trees. Just as Mats threw up his gun to 
fire. Nils shouted: 

“Don’t shoot ! . That’s my old friend 
Bumburro !” 

To the utter consternation of Mats, Nils 
leaped into the very arms of the bear. 
Bumburro sniffed and sneezed, and when 
Nils spoke to him and stroked his nose, 
42 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


the bear’s growl became a gentle murmur 
of delighted recognition. 

It was hard to decide which of the two 
friends was the happier at this unexpect- 
ed meeting. 

All this while Mats stood as if turned to 
stone, and of course, without a thought of 
shooting. 

'‘Come on. Nils,” he finally said, “we 
have a long way to travel before night- 
fall.” 

When they started off, the bear followed 
them until they approached the settlement 
at the edge of the forest. There Bum- 
burro stopped. 

Nils wound his arms about his friend’s 
neck and fondled the great head with gen- 
uine regret at parting. He was not 
ashamed of the tears that came to his 
eyes; but he consoled himself with the 
thought that he was leaving his old friend 
in full enjoyment of freedom, and as the 
proud monarch of the forest. Finally he 
tore himself away from Bumburro and 


43 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 

hurried after Mats who had continued on 
his way. 

When left alone, Bumburro swung him- 
self upon a high rock and clambered from 
there into the leafless branches of a tall 
tree, from which he followed with his gaze 
his departing friend as long as he was in 
sight. The last time Nils turned around, 
he thought he could discern the head of a 
second bear beside that of his friend. 

'Tt’s a good thing the other bear didn't 
come first." Nils exclaimed. 

''Shall we go back and take a crack at 
it?" asked Mats. 

"No, no," cried Nils. "It's Bumburro's 
mate, and suppose you shot Bumburro by 
mistake !" 

"I never shoot anything by mistake," 
Mats declared. "I always hit my mark. 
But to please you. I'll forego my bear hunt 
this time. They didn't harm you when 
you were in their power, and I'll spare 
them now. One must be just even toward 
beasts, and not return evil for good." 


44 


NILS THE ADVENTUKER 


Mats was much given to pondering, and 
as they went along, Nils could see that he 
was thinking deeply upon some subject. 

“I must confess,” he finally burst out, 
‘That I didnT put much faith in your won- 
derful bear story. I concluded that you 
dreamt it while you were sleeping in the 
snowdrift. But I see now that your story 
was all true. I have been ruminating on 
what it could be that saved you from be- 
ing devoured by the bears. That Bum- 
burro left you alone is only natural, as he 
was your friend and companion. But the 
other bear — that is harder to explain.” 

“She didnT dare to touch me for Bum- 
burro,” Nils declared. 

But Mats only shook his head. 

“It was not only Bumburro,” he assert- 
ed. “Your real protector, as I see it, was, 
no doubt, the same One who stopped the 
lion's mouth in the case of Daniel in the 
pit.” 

“You mean God,” said Nils soberly. 

“I do,” said Mats. 


45 


NILS THE ADVENTUKER 


“But I was such a wicked boy. How 
could God want to protect me ? God would 
only have treated me as I deserved, if He 
had allowed me to be devoured.” 

“That’s true enough,” declared Mats 
calmly, “but rather than let you die in 
your wickedness, God wished to give you 
time to become good. You see that’s al- 
ways his way.” 

Nils was deeply moved by these words, 
and never in his life had he felt so great a 
desire to become good. 

After a long and weary tramp. Mats 
and his companion finally reached the vil- 
lage. The first thing that Mats did was 
to conduct Nils to the village parson. 
After much questioning the parson dis- 
covered the name of the distant village 
where fhe parents of Nils lived, and then 
he provided means for his journey home. 

“Now see to it that you grow up to be- 
come a sturdy man and strong as a bear 
to resist all evil,” was the parting advice 
of Mats. 


46 


NILS THE ADVENTURER 


Great was their joy when Nils returned 
to his own folks. Father and mother 
could hardly believe their eyes when they 
beheld their son, whom they had thought 
dead, standing before them hale and 
hearty. Not a single word of reproach 
did he receive; nor did he need any, for 
he returned home a different and a better 
boy than when he ran away. 



47 




HOLD FAST THY CROWN 



A Christmas Home-Coming. 4 . 



I 

The rite of confirmation was finished, 
the children had for the first time partak- 
en of the Lord’s Supper, and now they 
were grouped about their pastor to receive 
their certificates. He also gave to each a 
book as a remembrance of their winter’s 
work together. On the fly-leaf of each 
book was inscribed the name of the re- 
cipient and under the name this Bible 
verse : 

"Hold fast that which thou hast, that no 
one take thy crown!' 

The same verse was written in each 
book, and the words of farewell, uttered 
by the pastor, directed the children’s at- 
tention to the crown. 

“Remember,” he said, “that you have a 
crown that may be lost, and hold fast to 
it!” 50 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

The final words of parting had been 
said, and the children departed — depart- 
ed, as it were, from days of childhood into 
the larger sphere of youthful life and ac- 
tivity. And as they went, their ways led 
them in different directions. 

II 

Agda returned to the little shop where 
she was employed. Many duties awaited 
her there. 

‘T am glad that your confirmation is a 
thing of the past so that I need no longer 
be without your help several hours a week, 
busy as we are,’’ exclaimed Agda's mis- 
tress, who was always harassed and nerv- 
ous, driving herself as well as others to 
the utmost. 

As Agda worked she wondered if she 
would be able to retain the impressions 
she had received during the period of in- 
struction for her confirmation. She knew 
that she had no quiet hours to look for- 
ward to, and in the midst of her endless la- 
51 


HOLD PAST THY CROWN 


bors it was so difficult to concentrate her 
thoughts on higher things. But Agda did 
not wish to lose her crown, and so she 
prayed that Jesus might preserve it for 
her and her for it. 

Such was the burden of her prayer late 
one evening as she was scrubbing the floor 
of the shop. As she was scouring away 
with her brush and wiping up the soap- 
suds, she was thinking of her crown, and 
despite her humble task her heart was 
filled with sacred peace. She felt that she 
was not alone in the shop though no other 
human being was present. The thought 
that Jesus was near so filled her heart 
with gladness that she would have burst 
into song had not her hard task made her 
so breathless that singing was out of the 
question. 

It seemed to her that Jesus was saying: 
''Scrub this floor well for me !” 

And so, indeed, she did. Every spot and 
every corner was scoured clean and white. 

When her task was ended, she was per- 
52 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


mitted to go home to bed. But her poor 
little back ached so hard that she could 
not sleep for a long time. 

Agda might well have had reason to 
complain that the work assigned to her 
was too heavy for her frail strength, but 
she had her own way of looking at this 
matter. Was she not working for Jesus? 
And if her back ached a little for His sake, 
how much greater had not His suffering 
and anguish been for her sake! 

Without knowing it, Agda was living 
her toilsome life as a true heroine. Pa- 
tiently she bore her cross in the footsteps 
of Jesus, and she kept her eyes so stead- 
fastly on the Master that she did not notice 
the weight of the cross she bore. 

And as she journeyed on for the few re- 
maining years of her life, she reached the 
moment at last when her cross was ex- 
changed for a crown 

“Poor little Agda!” murmured her few 
sorrowing friends as they lowered her 
body into the grave on a bright spring day 
53 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

just four years after her confirmation. 
''She was not strong enough to endure the 
toil and drudgery of life, and so she died 
so young, poor child!!/ 

"Happy little Agda caroled the angels 
of heaven when they bore her soul on high. 
"In a small way you were faithful to your 
Saviour even unto death; therefore He 
now bestows on you the crown of life. 
Happy little Agdal’^ 

III 

Few, indeed, were those who had fol- 
lowed Agda to the grave. Besides her sis- 
ter and mistress and a few companions 
there were only two others present : a poor 
working woman and her son. There were 
tears in the woman’s eyes, but the youth 
gazed with dry eyes and gloomy mien 
down into the grave. Agda and he were 
of equal age, had lived near each other, 
and had been good friends from earliest 
childhood, and besides, they had belonged 
to the same confirmation class. Gunnar 


54 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


had done what he could to ease the sad lot 
of his friend, but as his wages were small 
and his time taken up, he had not been 
able to do much. 

Silent and sad, mother and son turned 
away from the grave and departed from 
the churchyard. 

Just then a fine carriage occupied by 
several well-dressed persons rolled by 
them on the highway. Gunnar’s eyes 
burning with hatred followed the carriage, 
and his hands were tightly clenched. 

“Mother,"’ he said, “if we had owned 
only half of what those fine people possess, 
we might have hindered Agda’s death.” 

She looked at him and was startled at 
his aspect. 

“Beware of such thoughts, Gunnar; 
they will only make your heart hard and 
bitter,” she cried. 

“And if they do, can you wonder at it?” 
he retorted. 

Hatred of the well-to-do seathed in Gun- 
nar’s heart, and every time he thought of 
55 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


Agda’s sad fate, this hatred burst into a 
fierce flame. As time passed Gunnar be- 
came one of the leaders in his labor union, 
and whenever opportunity offered he was 
quick to fan the flame of discontent and 
hatred toward the so-called upper classes. 
He became a leader in all strike move- 
ments and was unsparing in his criticism 
of all those who refused to go out on strike. 

‘‘0 Gunnar, you are growing so harsh 
and bitter! Where will it all end?’' sighed 
the mother. 

‘‘Don’t sigh over me,” he retorted. “Sigh 
over all the wrong and injustice in the 
world.” 

“It isn’t so bad as you think,” protested 
his mother. “If you could look into the 
homes of the wealthy, you would find no 
greater happiness there than in the cot- 
tages of the poor.” 

“I know nothing about that,” Gunnar 
replied. “I only know that if Agda had 
not been so poor she might be living still.” 

“I don’t believe,” replied the mother, 
56 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


that she would be willing to exchange 
her present lot and return to earth, even 
if she could live in regal state/' 

“That's a mere empty phrase to silence 
the ‘stones that cry out,' " replied Gunnar 
fiercely. “But cry out we will until the 
heavens crack and fire falls upon the rich 
and mighty whose hearts are in their 
money-bags." 

The mother's only answer was a sigh 
which served only to drive Gunnar fuming 
from the house. 

A strike had just been declared at the 
great factory where Gunnar was em- 
ployed. Some of the workmen had refused 
to walk out. These strike-breakers must 
now be brought to their senses and com- 
pelled to take part in the strike. 

Gunnar met one of these and proceeded 
to beat him up when he would not listen 
to reason. During the progress of the 
fight Gunnar grew wild with passion and 
hit harder than he knew. Suddenly Ernst 
Bengtsson, his antagonist, fell to ' the 
57 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

ground, blood streaming from his nose and 
mouth. He lay perfectly still, but Gunnar 
was not to be frightened. 

“Don’t play ’possum with me! You’re 
far from dead yet,” Gunnar cried, poking 
the fallen man savagely with his foot. 

A cry of pain was heard, confirming 
Gunnar’s declaration that the man was far 
from dead yet. 

“Help me up!” moaned the stricken 
man. 

“Sure, if you have had enough to make 
you remember not to be a strike-breaker 
again,” Gunnar declared as he raised him 
to his feet and helped him on his way 
home. 

There they found the injured man’s 
wife with a little child on her arm, busily 
engaged in preparing the evening meal, 
while three older children were romping 
about the humble home. When they no- 
ticed the condition of their father, the 
children grew suddenly still and the moth- 
er became pale as death. Without a word 
58 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

she placed the little one in the cradle and 
helped Gunnar put her husband to bed. 

“How did this happen?’^ she stammered 
as she carefully removed her husband's 
clothing. 

She looked at Gunnar, but he neither 
met her gaze nor answered. Then she 
turned to her husband, but he, too, re- 
mained silent. She could see that he had 
been in a fight, but he was perfectly sober 
and so was the other man. Who, then, had 
beat him up? ^ 

“Never mind how it happened," her hus- 
band said feebly, for he had, indeed, been 
severely handled. 

Gunnar offered to fetch a doctor. 

Then the wife remembered that she had 
not thanked Gunnar for helping her hus- 
band, and she hastened to do so now. 

'‘Don't thank mel" Gunnar said hastily 
as he hurried off to summon a doctor. 

As it was growing late, Gunnar had 
some difficulty in finding a doctor and 
59 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


sending him to Bengtsson’s home. Then 
he set out for his own home. 

He found the house dark, as his mother 
had been called out to do night scrubbing 
in an office building. 

Suddenly Gunnar remembered some- 
thing which had deeply impressed Jiim 
when he was preparing for his confirma- 
tion, namely, the words about Judas: "‘He 
then having received the sop went out 
straightway: and it was night.’’ At this 
moment Gunnar felt as if these words ap- 
plied to him. He hastened to light the 
lamp, but this did not dispel the darkness 
in his soul. The silence of the innocent 
comrade whom he had manhandled, and 
the poor wife’s unmerited thanks made 
him feel more like a Judas than the bene- 
factor and hero he had considered himself. 

The accusing voice of conscience bat- 
tled victoriously against the doctrine 
of hate which filled Gunnar’s heart. In 
vain he tried to persuade himself that he 
had beaten Bengtsson simply because the 
60 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


man did not know enough to stand up for 
his rights, and so this had to be hammered 
into him. The voice of conscience persist- 
ently asked in what respect the poor man 
was the gainer as a result of his bodily in- 
juries and the fact that he was no longer 
able to work for the support of himself 
and family. 

Perhaps he was not the gainer, Gunnar 
admitted — not he himself, not for the 
time being — but was it not necessary to 
sacrifice the individual for the public good, 
temporary advantage for future progress? 

IV 

The following day Gunnar was drawn 
irresistibly to Bengtsson’s home. The 
man was worse and had a fever, but his 
mind was clear. 

Not many words were exchanged be- 
tween the two men, but when Gunnar left 
he carried away with him a pain in his 
own soul which caused him as much suffer- 
ing as the injuries he had inflicted upon 
61 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


Ernst Bengtsson. The expression in the 
sick man’s eyes, though without malice, 
had seemed to say to him, ^'Why did you 
do this to me?” 

However much Gunnar tried to excuse 
himself, this question burned deeper and 
deeper into his soul. He had no peace 
night or day, and he found it impossible 
to undertake anything to distract his 
mind. 

Bengtsson grew steadily worse. The 
support of the family now fell upon the 
poor wife’s shoulders, and as she therefore 
could not give her husband the necessary 
care, he was renjoved to the hospital. 

Not a day passed but that Gunnar visit- 
ed him at the hospital, and Bengtsson’s 
wife came as often as her laborious life 
permitted. 

Gunnar’s visits were never long, nor 
did he say much when he came ; but with- 
out his noticing it, his hard, flinty nature 
grew gradually softer day by day. 

One day Gunnar failed to come. When 
62 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

he appeared the next day, Bengtsson 
asked : ^‘You weren’t here yesterday, were 
you?” 

'‘Did you miss me?” Gunnar asked with 
a quick, searching look. 

“Yes, I did,” he replied. “No one came 
to see me, not even my wife.” 

For a while Gunnar sought to repress a 
question he had long desired to ask. 

At last he blurted it out: “Does your 
wife still know nothing about how it hap- 
pened?” 

“She has her suspicions, but she does 
not know who injured me,” Bengtsson re- 
plied. 

A lump rose in Gunnar’s throat; he 
tried to speak but instead he rose abruptly 
and departed with a hasty word of fare- 
well. 

When he again called at the hospital, 
Bengtsson asked him how the strike was 
progressing. 

“Negotiations are in progress and it 


63 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


looks as though we were going to win/' 
Gunnar declared. 

'T wish that other and better means 
than strikes could be found", sighed 
Bengtsson. 

'Impossible! We are compelled to use 
force against force in our dealings with 
the upper classes," Gunnar declared stern- 
ly. 

Just then a young nurse passed by, car- 
rying a little sick boy in her arms. Bengts- 
son’s eyes followed her with evident pleas- 
ure. 

“Look at her," he said. “Do you know 
who she is?" But without awaiting Gun- 
nar's reply he continued: “She is a young 
lady of wealth, belonging to that upper 
class which you Kate and regard as the 
source of all evil. She is giving all her 
time to the sick and the needy." 

“She does it then from a mere passing 
whim," declared Gunnar. 

“No, she does it from love," the sick man 
replied. “There is another and a better 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


way than to meet force by force, namely, 
to meet love by love.'' 

‘'Not much love comes to us from the 
upper classes," Gunnar declared spitefully. 
“She must be an exception." 

“Don't say that," insisted Bengtsson. 
“There are many like her. And besides, 
it is our duty to love even where there is 
no love in return." 

Gunnar's eyes kindled haughtily as he 
replied: “That would be fine, wouldn't it! 
If we followed that principle, we would 
soon be driven into abject slavery." 

“Quite the contrary 1" Bengtsson assert- 
ed. “ ‘Love your enemies !' That command 
was given not only to the upper class but 
also to us — to all alike. Hate enslaves, 
but love makes free. Believe me, Gunnar, 
there is no greater slavery than that of 
hate 1" 

Gunnar made no reply but sat staring 
moodily at the floor. 

The sick man continued : “Hate fills the 
heart with unrest and bitterness, while 
65 

A Christmas Home-Coming. 5. 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


love sheds light and peace on all sides. An 
enemy is never won over by hate ; he must 
be won over'by love alone.” 

Gunnar’s silence remained unbroken. 
He wondered if the sick man was thinking 
now of their relations to each other ; if so, 
then he had to admit the truth of these 
words. 

'‘This is true of classes as well as of in- 
dividuals,” Bengtsson continued. "Love 
alone can smooth out all difficulties and 
bring about a union between the classes. 

When Gunnar went home that day he 
had much to think about. 

"Love your enemies!” 

What a foolish command, he mused. He 
would have dismissed the words with con- 
tempt, had he not felt that he himself was 
the object of just such love. 

How had his wounded comrade obtained 
such power to love? Well did Gunnar know 
the answer. The power came from Him 
who had given the command and who had 
fulfilled it in His own life and death. Yes, 
66 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


it was necessary to be a Christian with 
heart and soul in order to be able to love 
your enemies. Gunnar was afraid to be- 
come a Christian; for if he did, he must 
enter upon an entirely different way, and 
live for an entirely different ideal than the 
one which had seized upon him at Agda’s 
death and had since then been the ruling 
principle of his life. 

Agda! A startling thought occurred to 
him. What would she have said of his 
present ideals and aspirations? Would it 
have pleased her to know that her death 
marked the beginning of the path he was 
now treading? In his heart he knew that 
it would not have .pleased her — that it 
would have caused her deep and bitter 
sorrow. She had never complained, never 
had she used force against the cruel hard- 
ships of her life. But therefore she had 
met an untimely death. Bengtsson was in 
many respects like Agda, and therefore he 
now lay sick and helpless in the hospital. 
Nay, their King himself, whom they were 
67 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


serving, had died on the accursed cross be- 
cause of His love ! Clearly, the religion He 
proclaimed and practiced was the religion 
of defeat and destruction ! 

So Gunnar mused; but other thoughts, 
other questions pressed themselves upon 
him for reply. Was the resurrection of 
Jesus a defeat? Was the triumphant prog- 
ress of His kingdom on earth a defeat? 
Was Agda's happy assurance in the pres- 
ence of death, or Bengtsson’s friendly 
treatment of himself an evidence of defeat 
and failure ? 

Gunnar could not forget the expression 
in the sick man's eyes when he had solemn- 
ly declared : “An enemy is never won over 
by hate; he must be won by love alone." 

And all the while Gunnar was uncon- 
sciously confirming the truth of these 
words. The man he had injured was ac- 
tually winning him by his forgiveness and 
love; indeed, he had already won Gunnar 
so completely that he could no longer cher- 
ish his old ideas but felt himself irresist- 


68 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


ibly driven to adopt the views of the man 
whose love had conquered him. 

When human love has such power, how 
much greater and more powerful must not 
Christ's love be? 

Slowly Gunnar was being driven to 
Christ, though he realized that to accept 
Christ meant defeat and even death to 
him. He must die from his own sinful 
self in order toTive with Christ. He must 
set his mind on the things that are above, 
not on the things that are upon the earth. 

Severe, indeed, was his struggle before 
he was brought to the point of complete 
surrender. It was- only after a terrible 
night spent at Bengtsson's bedside in mo- 
mentary expectation of his comrade's 
death, that Gunnar's power of resistance 
was finally broken. 

When he saw death turn aside and life 
return, when the awful weight of actual 
murder was finally lifted from .his an- 
guished soul, then he could no longer re- 
frain from full and complete surrender. 


69 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


The love of Christ had conquered him. 

Gunnar was by nature whole-hearted 
and sincere. What he decided to do he did 
thoroughly. The decision once made, he 
became a Christian, heart and soul, and the 
new life within him permeated and trans- 
formed the old ideals that he had cher- 
ished. He still strove to spread the prin- 
ciples of equality among his fellowmen 
but to meet force with force was no longer 
his motto. He had himself been won by 
the omnipotence of love; in his turn he 
now desired to conquer by love alone. The 
sad lot of the weak and poor continued to 
lie near to his heart, but he now deemed 
the hidden riches of the soul of more value 
than mere material prosperity. Instead 
of stirring up and fanning the flame of 
discontent he strove to inspire content- 
ment realizing that this virtue brightens 
and lightens even the hardest lot. He still 
continued to ponder on the problem as to 
why there should be so much of inequality 
in the world, but when the sight of the 


70 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

world's misery and want threatened to em- 
bitter his heart, he would direct his 
thoughts to that higher world to which 
Agda had escaped from the grinding cares 
of life, and he felt assured that all of life's 
difficult problems would there be solved. 
The more he began to seek for the higher 
things, the less important became many 
of the things of this life. And though it 
is true that the poor and lowly must do 
without many of the good things of this 
life, yet the crown of life eternal is just as 
accessible to the poorest and the lowliest 
as to the richest and the greatest. In 
comparison with this crown all the world's 
glory seemed to Gunnar to pale into insig- 
nificance. 

V 

Elin and .Mia were two class-mates of 
Agda's in the confirmation class. They 
had also attended her funeral although 
they had seldom met her after their con- 
firmation. Even if their lives had devel- 


71 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


oped along different lines from Agda’s, yet 
they had thought much of her and sincere 
were the tears they let fall upon the grave 
of their friend. 

Elin and Mia were employed in a fac- 
tory, and they found their work dull and 
tedious. But they had their evenings and 
Sundays free, and this meant much to 
them. They had many girl friends at the 
factory, and among these there were some 
who suggested various and often question- 
able ways of amusing themselves. 

‘‘Now that our confirmation is safely 
over, we need not be so good and pious as 
before,'^ these had said to Mia and Elin. 

At first the latter had endeavored to 
keep away from sinful pleasures, but as 
time passed they had yielded more and 
more to temptations. They were young 
and life's pleasures were alluring. They 
soon became favorites at the dance halls, 
and the young men vied with each other 
for their company at theatres and cafes. 
Soon these two young girls lived only for 


72 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

their pleasures, and considered their work 
at the factory only as a necessary evil. 
When they came to their work in the 
morning after spending more than half 
the night in theatres and cafes, they com- 
plained of overwork and grew dull and 
careless at their tasks. 

Thus it came to pass that they lost what 
once was theirs and forgot their crowns. 
But there is One who seeks for those who 
have gone astray; and* one day He con- 
fronted the two friends though they knew 
Him not. He laid a heavy hand on Mia and 
a severe illness seized upon her so that she 
was removed to the hospital. 

Here another phase of life met her, far 
different from that of the dance halls and 
theatres. No coarse jests, no loud laugh- 
ter, no wild revelry here; here solemnity 
and stillness, hope and fear reigned. Here 
she met life without illusions — life in the 
presence of death. Mia was terrified. It 
seemed to her as if she had awakened from 
a lurid dream to the bald realities of life 

73 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

in which her own life was but a smolder- 
ing ruin. If she should die now, what had 
life meant to her ? Nothing — less than 
nothing ! 

It was necessary for Mia to submit to an 
operation and she was terribly afraid, for 
the doctor had not concealed from her the 
seriousness of her condition. 

In the next bed to Mia^s lay a woman 
who was now convalescing from the very 
same operation that Mia was to undergo. 
This woman tried to calm and cheer the 
young girl. 

'T committed myself into the hands of 
God and He helped me through,” she de- 
clared. 

Mia made no reply, but so far from 
cheering her, the woman^s words greatly 
disturbed her. More than all else she 
feared to commit herself into the hands of 
a righteous God, for had she not thrust 
aside His hands when they were extended 
to her in love? 

The kind woman did not wish to trouble 

74 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


Mia with many words, but she remained 
seated by her side, and her presence 
seemed to soothe the young girl. She 
picked up a book lying on the stand by 
Mia’s bed and began to turn the leaves. 

'T received that book from my pastor on 
my confirmation day,” said Mia hesitat- 
ingly. 

''And did he write these words: 'Hold 
fast that which thou hast, that no one take 
thy crown’?” inquired the woman. 

"He did,” whispered Mia. 

Her crown had been taken from her. 
Punishment and not a crown awaited her 
at the hands of God. 

"Do you think I will die of the opera- 
tion?” Mia suddenly asked. 

"No, I do not think so. But whatever 
the result, you need not fear.” 

"0 yes, I do !” cried Mia. 

"Why so?” asked her new friend. 

"I have gone astray from God.” 

"Have you fallen into sin?” 


75 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


‘‘Well, not exactly,'’ replied Mia. “I 
have really not done anything wicked." 

“Why, then, are you afraid of God?" 

“0, 1 can't tell. He seems such a strang- 
er to me." 

“Has He always seemed so?" 

“No, not always." 

“Poor child, have you lost your crown? 
Come, tell me how it happened." 

“My companions led me into many 
things that I now regret," sighed Mia. 

“Do not lay the entire blame on your 
companions. What could they have done 
if your own desires had not led in the same 
direction? And/, besides, was there no 
voice calling you in the opposite direction ? 
Did you not have to resist many loving 
promptings from God before you went en- 
tirely astray?" 

Mia had to admit that this was true. 
But she declared that God had prompted 
her more through fear of His vengeance 
than through His love. 

“But would it not be sweet to know that 


76 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


God is ready to pardon your neglect, to 
take you back though you have gone 
astray, and to restore the crown that you 
have forfeited?'’ 

'‘But that He will never do!” 

“0 yes. He will. ‘Though your sins be 
as scarlet, they shall be as white as 
snow.’ ” 

Mia made no reply, but she pondered on 
this promise and laid hold on it when the 
hour for her operation arrived and the 
chloroform began to becloud her senses. 

The operation which Mia had so feared 
was successful and her recovery was rapid 
and complete. 

When she returned to the factory, she 
was greeted heartily by all her compan- 
ions. Elin’s greetings were especially 
warm; she had missed the companionship 
of her friend. But Elin’s disappointment 
was great when she discovered that Mia 
was unwilling to enter upon their former 
merry life. 

“No!” she declared positively, r '‘God 


77 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


has taken me back, and now there is noth- 
ing I fear so much as to go astray from 
Him again. I wish to hold fast that which 
I have so that no one takes my crown.” 

This silenced Elin, and when she saw 
that Mia could not be induced to change 
her mind, she withdrew more and more 
from her companionship, especially as 
Mia would not let her pursue her own way 
in peace. 

'‘Beware, Elin !” she warned. “You 
have entered upon a dangerous path. Turn 
back !” 

But Elin did not heed the warning. She 
wished to enjoy life in her own way and 
seemed to care nothing for the crown. Her 
path led her further and further away 
from God until she was indeed a lost and 
fallen woman. The saddest was that she 
did not seem to realize the depth of her 
fall but believed that all was well. 

Mia mourned deeply over the sinful fol- 
ly of her friend who so thoughtlessly cast 
away her crown, and she prayed daily for 
her. 


78 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


VI 

There were many other young people 
besides Agda and Gunnar, Elin and Mia 
who had received from their pastor the 
parting injunction: ‘‘Hold fast that which 
thou hast, that no one take thy crown/^ 

When Helen and Irma went home after 
having received the confirmation certifi- 
cates, they felt sad at heart. Both were 
deeply attached to their pastor and con- 
sidered the past winter as the happiest 
period of their lives. Especially was this 
the case with Irma. Hers was a home of 
no serious religious atmosphere; her con- 
firmation instruction had therefore opened 
an entirely new world to her which had 
won her love. 

After she had parted from Helen at the 
gate of her home, she went from room to 
room seeking her mother, but no one was 
‘at home. 

Sad at heart, she took her stand before 
a window looking out upon the River 


79 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


Road, a fashionable boulevard, but her at- 
tention was not fixed upon the gay throng 
of people passing below her, nor upon the 
glittering river or the smiling spring skies. 
She opened the little book she had just 
received and read the words written under 
her name: “Hold fast that which thou 
hast, that no one take thy crown.’' 

The memory of all the precious things 
she had heard about the Saviour’s great 
lov3 and the heavenly mansions that He 
had prepared for her now caused her heart 
to glow with gratitude to God, and as she 
stood there by the window she sent to 
heaven a silent but fervent petition that 
Jesus might take her into His keeping and 
protect her. 

Irma’s parents had planned that she 
should make her entry into the gay world 
of fashionable society during the winter 
after her confirmation, and they were not a 
little astonished when their daughter man- 
ifested unwillingness to meet their wishes. 


80 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


It became, however, increasingly difficult 
for her to persist in her refusals, for it 
only served to kindle her father's wrath 
and to cause her mother sorrow. They 
could not understand her aversion to the 
gay life which they had planned for her. 
But she begged so earnestly that at first 
they yielded to her wishes. One evening, 
however, she was invited to a fashionable 
ball at a place to which her father insisted 
that she should go. No prayers were of 
any avail. 

“You must go, and that’s all there is to 
it!” her father declared. Never had he 
used such a tone of voice to her before. 

‘T can’t understand you,” her mother 
pouted. “You must think that we wish to 
bring you in contact with entirely worth- 
less people. It is merely false pride on 
your part to consider yourself so much 
better than other people that you do not 
wish to associate with them.” 

“That is not at all what I think,” de- 
clared Irma. “What I fear is that I will 


81 

A Christmas Home-Coming. 6 . 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


be so attracted by the gayeties of society 
that I will go astray from God.'^ 

''O, I do not think you need to fear 
that,” replied the mother, who secretly 
thought that it would be well for Irma to 
dismiss from her mind some of those pe- 
culiar religious impressions which made 
her so unlike the care-free young people 
about her. 

So Irma attended the ball and was 
charmed by its pleasures. Nor was this 
the last ball she attended, for now that 
the ice had been broken and she had ac- 
cepted one invitation, she could not very 
well refuse others without causing, bad 
feelings. 

But all the while she was restless and 
ill at ease, feeling that she was denying 
her Saviour. 

When she sought comfort and sympathy 
from Helen, the latter only added to the 
burden oppressing her. 

“Why don’t you take a firmer stand ? If 
I were in your place I would simply refuse 

82 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


to enter a ball-room/^ declared Helen, for- 
getting that an opportunity for such re- 
fusal had never been given her. 

In the presence of her excellent friend 
Irma felt guilty, and that night she cried 
bitter tears of sorrow and remorse. It 
seemed to her that the shining crown 
which had so attracted her was losing its 
luster. 

“Must I either defy my parents or lose 
my crown she asked herself with in- 
creasing anxiety, as she felt herself grow- 
ing daily more shallow as a result of the 
aimless life into which she was being 
drawn. 

In the spring of the year after her con- 
firmation she finished her course in the 
high school and determined to ask her 
father's permission to continue her studies 
for her college degree. She timed her re- 
quest to the moment when he had just 
finished examining her certificate from the 
high school and had expressed his pride 
and satisfaction with the same. He grant- 

83 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


ed her request without much show of hesi- 
tation. To be proud of his child was the 
dearest wish of his heart and he felt that 
this wish would be gratified if he permit- 
ted his gifted daughter to continue her 
studies. 

Irma took her work in college seriously 
and seldom found time to mingle with so- 
ciety. This was not entirely pleasing to 
her parents, but they realized that it would 
be better for her to spend her spare time 
in open air sports and activities and her 
nights in sleep than to waste her time and 
strength at parties and balls. Besides, 
her parents consoled themselves with the 
thought that when she had taken her de- 
gree, she would discard her studies for the 
gayer life of society where she would be 
able to play a prominent part because of 
her culture and talents. But in her heart 
Irma had other plans. These were vague 
as yet, but she did not doubt that when the 
time came she would hit upon the proper 
course to take in life. 


84 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


Of late there was but little intimacy be- 
tween Irma and Helen. This was due 
partly to the fact that they now moved in 
different spheres and partly to the circum- 
stance that Helen was beginning to disap- 
prove of Irma. Helen considered that her 
friend had become both worldly-minded 
and unwomanly. 

One day Helen was pouring out her re- 
grets about Irma to her brother Axel who 
had also been a member of their confirma- 
tion class. 

“Yes/' she concluded with a sigh, “it is. 
sad to notice all this. Well I remember 
the farewell words of our pastor: ‘Hold 
fast that which thou hast, that no one take 
thy crown.' Poor Irma, she seems to have 
exchanged her crown for the vanities of 
the world." 

Axel, who had been pacing forth and 
back across the room, now stopped sudden- 
ly and said : “Beware, Helen, it is also pos- 
sible to forfeit the crown by self-righteous- 
ness and harsh judgment of others." 


85 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


Helen was so taken aback that she could 
find no word of reply. 


VII 

Helen's brother Axel was studying for 
the ministry. Erick, one of his confirma- 
tion mates and his best friend from child- 
hood, was rooming with him at the univer- 
sity. 

Both had set out in life with the same 
lofty purpose to fight the good fight of 
faith for the crown of life. But theirs was 
not a fight againt ‘Tlesh and blood, but 
against principalities and powers and the 
world-rulers of this darkness." Axel was 
vigilant and had put on the whole armor 
of God in order to be able to withstand in 
the evil day. When doubts assaulted him, 
he was therefore well equipped. He bore 
the shield of faith which he valiantly op- 
posed to the fiery darts of the evil one 
whose attacks he was therefore able to 
frustrate. 


86 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 

Erick, however, was not so keen-eyed 
nor far-seeing. 

“You cut short all the difficult questions 
of life without facing them squarely and 
attempting to solve them,^^ said Erick, re- 
buking his friend. 

“Why try to untie the hard knots that 
bind and fetter us?^^ exclaimed Axel. 
“Much better, then, to cut them in two as 
did Alexander the Gordian knot.” 

“That may be well enough as far as you 
are concerned, but most people will not be 
satisfied with such a way out of the diffi- 
culty,” declared Erick. “And for the sake 
of these it is our duty to study these prob- 
lems and doubts, and attempt to solve 
them.” 

“Provided only that you do not enter 
into them so deeply that you lose your 
faith!” Axel exclaimed. “You do poor 
service to a doubter by doubting yourself.” 

“If my faith is so weak that it cannot 
bear to be exposed to doubts, it may as well 
perish!” cried Erick proudly. 


87 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


^'DonT you love and cherish your faith?’' 
Axel asked. 

“Why do you ask?” inquired Erick. 

“You speak so unfeelingly about, your 
faith,” said Axel. “Would you think that 
a mother loved her child if she exposed it 
to contagion, saying: Tf my child is so 
weak that it can not withstand the con- 
tagion of diphtheria, it may as well die’ ?” 

This silenced Erick for a moment, but 
suddenly with flashing eyes he rejoined: 
“What would you say of a physician who 
did not dare to enter the room of a diph- 
theria patient for fear of contagion?” 

“I would call him a coward,” Axel ad- 
mitted, but added : “But I would call him a 
fool if he knowingly admitted the germs 
into his own system instead of rending 
them harmless.” 

But Erick was not yet vanquished. 

“It is sometimes a duty,” he retorted, 
“to suck poison from the wound of one 
who has been snake-bitten in order to save 
his life.” 


88 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


“But one need not swallow the poison,” 
was Axel’s ready retort. “One will spit it 
all out with the greatest care. I do not 
mean by this that you must avoid people 
who are fighting with doubts, or timidly 
refuse to listen to them. What I do mean 
is that under no circumstances must you 
allow doubts to gain the mastery in your 
own soul.” 

So Axel spoke, and his life was in har- 
mony with his words. He went on his 
way with eye fixed upon the crown whose 
radiance in his eyes far excelled all earthly 
things. His life became a blessing and a 
source of strength to many a weak and 
erring mortal. He raised many a drown- 
ing soul up on the Rock of Ages, not by 
throwing himself into the waves, but by 
retaining a firm footing on the Rock and 
reaching out to lift others up. 

Erick’s path through life did not extend 
so straight, and his steps were not so firm. 
He was so liberal in his^ views and so 
afraid of judging that he did not even pass 

89 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


judgment on manifest falsehood lest he 
should seem to judge those who advocated 
it. For this reason he was held in high 
esteem by the world at large. He exerted 
an influence for good, but he won more 
people for himself than for God, for he 
made use of his own well considered and 
well uttered views instead of proclaiming 
the pure gospel of Christ which is a folly 
and a stumbling block to those who feel no 
need of it. Erick lived for this life alone 
— a life full of uprightness and love of 
humanity. The crown which God had 
promised to the faithful he expected to 
win as a reward for services rendered. 
But this crown was not yet ready for him, 
nor did he expect it as a free gift of grace 
but only when he had earned it by a life 
of faithful service. 

Time and again Axel warned him : '‘You 
have entered upon a dangerous way, Erick. 
You are drifting away from your first 
love ; you no longer feel the need of Christ 
and His atonement. Hold fast your crown, 
lest you forfeit it.’’ 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 
VIII 

When Irma had taken her degree, her 
parents arranged for a grand reception in 
her honor. Among those whom Irma her- 
self had invited were Helen and Axel. 
Helen sent her regrets but Axel came. 

As Axel did not dance but was only an 
onlooker, he had ample opportunity to 
make his observations. He observed that 
Irma was courted by young and old alike, 
but this was only natural, he reflected, as 
the reception was held in her honor. Nev- 
ertheless she seemed to him more dejected 
than glad. Axel longed to speak to her, 
but as hostess she must move about and 
devote herself to all alike. Only for a min- 
ute or two did she linger at his side. 

'‘What do you think of these doings?'’ 
she asked, viewing the gay throng with a 
pensive aspect. 

“There is something enticing about it, 
especially to one who is not accustomed to 
it,” he declared. 


91 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


'‘Yes, indeed,'' she agreed, and her eyes 
grew troubled; but suddenly they bright- 
ened as if a pleasant thought had occurred 
to her, and she added: “In the darkness 
every light is bright, but if one walks in 
the light—" 

She did not finish her sentence for some- 
one came to summon her away. 

Axel longed to resume the interrupted 
conversation, but no opportunity offered 
itself that evening. 

The following day he was walking along 
the boulevard to enjoy the beautiful spring 
sunshine when he encountered Irma. She, 
too, was alone. They made no attempt to 
conceal from each other their mutual 
pleasure at the meeting. Together they 
proceeded along the River Road, stopped 
for a while on the bridge to listen to the 
murmur of the river along its birch-clad 
banks, then they continued along the path 
through the woods avoiding by tacit agree- 
ment the more public localities of this 
park-like district. 


92 


HOLD . FAST THY CROWN 


The ensuing conversation became de- 
cisive for their life's happiness. Axel had 
asked Irma as to her plans for the future 
and had found them rather vague. One 
thing, only, she knew with certainty, 
namely, that she wished to live for God and 
humanity, and hold fast her crown. But 
as yet she was somewhat uncertain as to 
the best way to accomplish this. By pref- 
erence she would like to become a trained 
nurse, but her parents had positively re- 
fused to give their consent to this. Nei- 
ther did they wish that she should study 
medicine. 

“The outlook seems .rather dark just 
now, but I do not doubt that God will find 
the right place in life for me," she con- 
cluded hopefully, though her lips quivered 
and there was a pensive look in her eyes. 

Then Axel summoned courage to ask her 
a question which he had long desired to 
ask : “Don't you think, Irma, that the right 
place for you is by my side?" 

In a flash Irma knew that every uncer- 


93 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


tainty had been removed from her path. 
And when, at sundown, they descended 
the steep path down Birch Hill and Axel 
gave her his hand in support, a feeling of 
perfect contentment and safety filled her 
soul, and she poured out a silent prayer of 
thanksgiving to God who had given her 
the support and protection that she most 
needed. She knew from experience how 
difficult it was for her unaided to strive 
for the goal, she could, therefore, appre- 
ciate her good fortune to have obtained the 
life-long help of one who was striving for 
the same goal and kept the same crown 
steadily in view. 

True, their youthful love encountered 
trials and opposition, but it not only per- 
severed but was strengthened by these, 
and was finally crowned with victory. 

It was Axel who proposed the plan of 
having a reunion of all the members of 
their confirmation class, and his proposal 
met with instant favor from the others. 

One day in the beginning of May, fifteen 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


years after their confirmation, the mem- 
bers of the class assembled — mature men ' 
and women now — around their beloved 
pastor. The ranks had thinned noticeably. 
As was to be expected, all had not been 
able to be reached by the call, and some of 
those who were invited failed to respond. 

Mia occupied her old place, but the 
chairs on either side of her stood empty. 
Elin and Agda were absent. Elin had lost 
her crown and was now so deeply im- 
mersed in life's sinful pleasures that she 
no longer desired to hear God's Word. 
Agda had long since been removed from 
the world's cares and now bore her crown 
in the mansions above. Mia thought of 
her two absent classmates with a sense of 
loss; thanking God for the one and pray- 
ing for the other. 

There was one other whose gaze was 
fixed with deep emotion upon Agda's emp- 
ty chair, and that was Gunnar. But now 
the memory of her no longer embittered 
his feelings. He knew better than to be- 


95 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


wail her fate. But the chord in his heart, 
• which her defenceless weakness had so 
strongly touched, was still vibrating. No 
one could sympathize more deeply with the 
weak and needy than this burly workman 
with the serious countenance. He now 
tried honestly not to oppose force by force 
even in their defence. He left the aveng- 
ing of all wrong to Him who judges right- 
eously, and for his own part strove to pen- 
etrate more deeply into the law of love — 
nearer to Jesus Christ. 

Helen and Irma sat side by side, and 
both were conscious of how much their re- 
lations to each other had changed since the 
time of their confirmation. Outwardly they 
were more closely bound together, as Irma 
was married to Helen's brother, but their 
friendship was not so intimate, so warm 
as in the days of their girlhood. What 
was the reason for this? Each sought the 
cause in herself, for both were softened by 
the memories aroused by this reunion. 

Helen felt now that she had judged Ir- 


96 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


ma harshly and superficially and that envy 
had in all probability been the prime cause 
of their estrangement. Her brother AxePs 
words occurred to her, that it was possible 
to forfeit the crown by self-righteousness 
and harshness in judging others. These 
words had often occurred to her in the 
past but she had banished them ; now, how- 
ever, she met them squarely, bowed her 
head and passed judgment upon herself 
as in the presence of God. 

Irma, on the other hand, blamed herself 
for not giving to Helen the trtist and con- 
fidence which she expected of her in re- 
turn. She had not considered the diffi- 
culties Helen had to contend with, but only 
expected that the latter should sympathize 
with her in her own troubles. And of late, 
since her life had become so happy and 
harmonious, she had considered Helen 
selfish for not entering fully into the hap- 
piness of herself and Axel. But in this 
moment Irma realized that she herself was 
the selfish one, and she reflected that it 

97 

A Christmas Home-Coming. 7 . 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


would be sad, indeed, if her happiness 
should have such an evil influence upon 
her. She decided in her heart that this 
must not be. 

She looked over to Axel who was sitting 
opposite her. He nodded to her and his 
eyes flashed brightly. He deemed it a 
great privilege to sit once more as a schol- 
ar — he who now was a teacher of large 
classes of confirmation children. 

^TsnT it like meeting one’s old self from 
childhood days to sit here and feel how old 
thoughts and emotions surge up as living 
memories?” he whispered to Erick who sat 
by his side. 

Erick nodded and smiled at the memories 
of his own youthful inexperience. He had 
grown much since then, he reflected com- 
placently. 

Now their old teacher and pastor 
stepped into the circle. He had aged con- 
siderably and his hair was turning gray; 
but the look in his eyes was just as warm 
and bright as of old. 


98 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


He had readily consented to AxeFs plan 
for a reunion and now it pleased him 
greatly to find so many present. He cast 
his eyes upon each in turn and then his 
glance fell upon the empty chairs. Then 
he declared that each one of them had a 
place assigned in heaven and that they 
must all see to it that these places might 
not be vacant when their appointed time 
came. 

“Jesus has gone to prepare a place for 
you, and He will return to take you unto 
Himself. Be ready for Him whenever He 
comes.'' 

So their dear old pastor spoke, and then 
he again gave them the Bible verse which 
he had once before given them as a parting 
word: '‘Hold fast that ivhich thou hast, 
that no one take thy croivnJ' 

He spoke of all the new dangerous ten- 
dencies of the times, of all the misleading 
voices that were calling, and of the grow- 
ing unbelief manifesting itself on all sides. 
At last he cried pleadingly : 


99 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


‘Hold fast that which thou hast, that 
no one take thy crown/ You have God's 
word and promise of full salvation and 
life eternal through the blood of Christ 
Jesus. Let.no one shake your faith, but 
trust in His promise. Hold fast to it, hide 
it in your hearts, and guard it well. May 
heaven and earth perish rather than God's 
saving Word! If you have doubts as to 
this or that teaching in the divine revela- 
tion, banish such doubts by God's own 
Word as Jesus banished satan from His 
presence. And when you suffer, when you 
are about to die, rest your soul on God's 
precious promises and you will not be put 
to shame. ‘Hold fast that which thou 
hast, that no one take thy crown.' ‘Be 
faithful unto death.' " 

When the reunion was ended, the for- 
mer classmates parted from each other 
with evident reluctance, but they had still 
another bright and inspiring memory to 
carry with them on their way. They had 
caught a glimpse, as it were, through the 


100 


HOLD FAST THY CROWN 


very portals of eternity, and the crown of 
life had sent its shining message even to 
those who seldom or never thought of its 
priceless value. And those who were fight- 
ing the good fight of faith for the crown of 
life departed from the reunion cheered 
and strengthened for the conflict. 


Hold fast thy crown! 





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